The coffee industry, Kingston notes, has reached a point where the quality of coffee itself is a given. “In even the smallest towns, there are vying specialty coffee shops, all competing for customers while serving the same core drinks.” While there are minor variations brands can make to set themselves apart, Kingston saw that the key tool for differentiation was in the overall customer experience. “As such, there’s been a huge surge of cafés opening with unique brand names, menus, or experiences. I developed a fascination with the ways different business owners across different cultures designed what are essentially community spaces to appeal to their locality.”

Read more: 6 beautiful Tokyo cafes where the design is as good as the coffee

Designing Coffee is a tribute to the coffee industry, an ode to creative design, and an invaluable source of inspiration for coffee entrepreneurs and aficionados alike. Wherever you are in the world, the book encourages us to savour the details and stories that simmer within these spaces we often take for granted–our local coffee shops. “Business owners usually put a lot of thought into every detail of their business, and the average consumer will order a drink and sit down with a laptop or a book,” Kingston laments. “Coffee shops are usually designed to be experienced and to foster a sense of community. Soak that up!”

In an interview with Tatler Homes, Kingston recounts stories from her travels to cafés around the world, spills the beans with insider tips for café owners, and reveals five of her favourite venues from Designing Coffee.

In case you missed it: Editors’ Picks: The best cafes to visit in Singapore

What was the most memorable experience you had while working on this project? 

I walked into Cong Ca Phe in Hanoi, Vietnam, and was immediately struck by the fun and kitschy communist-themed décor. I had been working and living primarily in the US and the UK, so our cafés had been heavily influenced by Australian, Nordic, and Italian coffee cultures–those that were very serious about coffee! It was thrilling to experience a brand that didn’t take itself too seriously, yet still paid great attention to offering delicious coffee drinks. The beautiful 1970s aesthetic was very rooted in the owner’s childhood and Vietnamese history: it is a brand that tells a story, looks stunning, but has positioned itself to appeal to a young, hip, audience too. They also have a very fun and delicious menu that offers brand new types of coffee drinks and puts a custom spin on more traditional Vietnamese coffee serving styles. It’s one of only a handful of cafes I’ve visited in my life that truly feels like it offers something new and exciting.

What suggestions do you have for coffee shop owners and café designers in terms of design?

When it comes to coffee roasters and coffee shops, there are a number of aesthetic brand choices that have been made over and over by specialty coffee companies in recent times. These signature brand identities that demarcate a specialty coffee company have evolved and now subconsciously represent the visual antithesis of commodity coffee. Using any of these elements helps align a brand in the consumer’s mind with the specialty philosophy of quality, flavour, light-to-medium roasts, direct trade, and transparent sourcing. Minimalism, clean and quirky logotypes, usage of limited colour palettes or very bright colours, and the inclusion of farm details on a coffee bag or origins of coffees on grinders–these are all common ways to align oneself with the principles of quality.

What are some of your favourite coffee shops from Designing Coffee?

The first would be Cong Ca Phe in Hanoi, Vietnam–I love the unique and fun branding and design, and their delicious coconut coffees.

Second, Fritz Coffee Roasters in Seoul, South Korea. I’ve long been a fan of their cute brand identity, that is the perfect example of cohesive design principles applied well. Across their wide range of merchandise and products, their designs change and adapt to the application–but they all include their signature style and characters. Plus, they have a baker as a founding member and have absolutely incredible pastries from their bakehouse.

The next would be September Café in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. In Quận 4 (District 4), you can find the bright and playful The Wind Blows, a café designed to look like a bird's nest.

Fourth, The Budapest Café in Chengdu, China–Wes Anderson’s distinctive visual style is combined flawlessly with a hospitality experience reminiscent of Melbourne’s café culture, where the project’s design studio, Biasol, is located.

Last but not least, Subko Specialty Coffee Roasters in Mumbai, India. Subko is a Mumbai-based brand steeped in the hyperlocal, the regional, and the exquisitely crafted. Each element of their brand identity, products, ethos, and expertly crafted communications speak of a considered brand with the capacity to offer a cohesive and appealing consumer experience. They focus on coffee grown domestically in India and also have a craft bakehouse that produces innovative and experimental pastry and viennoiserie. Fusing the contemporary and traditional, traditional typography and scripts are paired with colours selected to represent the varied origins of the beans, while the edging of the product labels is a nostalgic nod to Indian railway tickets.

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